Siddhartha Rocks Out At The Ritz Raleigh

Some people only rock with a certain style or genre of music.  Anything outside of their faves, they won’t give it a listen.  Real fans of music know that good music is good music so when at the last show I covered for Shutter16, a fan asked me if I would be at the Siddhartha show, I was intrigued. Siddhartha is Jorge Siddhartha González Ibarra, a rock artist originally from Mexico. He was making his way to Raleigh for the second half of his US tour by way of the Ritz Raleigh so I was keen to check him out for myself.  Currently touring for his album 00:00 on Sony Music.  I listened to whatever I could find.  Previously a drummer for the band, Zoé, Siddhartha’s buzz garnered in 2007 with the release of his first album, the Latin Grammy-nominated “Why You.”

I beat the traffic and got there early to a big line already waiting. There were tons of couples, groups of friends and even a couple with their young son eagerly crowded by the stage. 

Now the full truth: I only speak passable Spanish but that really didn’t concern me. One of my favorite musicians ever is Brazilian artist Seu Jorge, a musical genius that I’ve never understood a single word of but I LOVE his music. Language barrier aside, a good concert is a good concert. The vibe at the venue was just as cool and friendly as ever, and I even made a few new friends. 

I’m thoroughly enjoying the current trend of no opening act. Don’t get me wrong, the chance to experience a new artist is always clutch but sometimes I want to get to the main course without the filler. I was stoked when the screams filled the venue as Siddhartha and his bandmates took the stage!

Siddhartha is not a newcomer by any means. It can be argued that his former group, Zoé, is one of the most important groups in Latin musical history. Siddhartha has several albums under his belt, and don’t forget the Grammy nod, so my expectations were pretty high. Yes, of course, Siddhartha met them.

Now to the fun part, let’s break down my faves! Siddhartha opened with “No Es Antes Ni Es Después” off the 00:00 album. Solid rock music, I could easily see rocking out to this in the car, riding around. The song “Brújula” gives me classic soft rock vibes, with an ethereal kind of feel that is a perfect introduction to new listeners. At the venue, when I asked fans what they wanted to see performed live, the title track “00.00” won by far.  I had to wait until the end of the show for it but it was worth the wait. The production on this track is edgier, I loved the switch-up and breaks. I think my favorite song so far though is “Loco.” This song I hadn’t had the pleasure of checking out beforehand but the contemporary rock vibes were on point. It made me think of summertime and hanging out with friends.  

In the end, shout to the fan who put me on, I definitely enjoyed myself and I’m confident you’ll join the fandom too! The Siddhartha tour runs until November 15th in Seattle.

See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.